Training and Racing

by Rachel Nypaver Running is often called an addiction – both by the running critics (aka wannabe runners) and by runners themselves. They say you can even get “high” from the pure act of running. So is running a drug? And should it be classified with addictions to sugar, crack, sex and alcohol? Then again,

Dear Ann, Some of my friends make me feel guilty about using a pacer. What do you think? Paul Dear Paul, There’s no easy answer. They’ve been controversial since the early days of ultra running. Ultimately they are there for safety, but their role has evolved over time. They expose new people to the sport;

There’s no shortage of products that promise to accelerate recovery. Sure, they might work, but first you have to buy them, which means (a) spending money and (b) either going all the way to the store or waiting days for your order to arrive. But did you know there are plenty of strategies to speed up and improve recovery that are absolutely free and don’t require any equipment?

It’s always tragic when a BIG run gets taken down by a LITTLE culprit! Such is the case with blisters. While blisters can feel like a mystery, there are four solid basics to avoiding blisters that you should know about.

You know those times when you innocently say something and are met by a really odd look, and then you realize that you’re not talking to an ultrarunner? Well, that was the case when I was talking to a local newspaper journalist recently and referred to running the Vancouver marathon as “a good, middle distance effort.” Well what else do we ultrarunners call a mere 26.2-mile jaunt other than “middle distance”?

A novel new addition to race week at this year’s Western States Endurance Run was the first-ever Medicine & Science in Ultra-Endurance Sports Conference. Medical research is one of the three pillars of the Western States Foundation Mission, and the formulation of a research conference in conjunction with the race has been in the works for several years.